Snap switch



SNAP SWITCH Filed Dec.- 13, 1950 z P n R 61 a I a0 7 INVENTOR MONROEGUETT hi9 atZvr-n :96

ii'jx' IWMHMMXM Patented Sept. 20, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEMONROE GUETT, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE ARROW-HART 0;HEGEHAN ELECTRIC COMPANY, 01 HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OFCONNECTICUT SNAP SWITCH Application filed December 13, 1930. Serial No.502,225.

to occupy more than two positions, it has been usual to space thepositions apart 90 or more. In order to actuate such snap switches ithas been necessary in many of these switches to move the actuator from agiven position past the next position before the snapping of the switchmember took place, the actuator then moving back to rest in the newposition under the action of the sprin which efiected snapping of theswitch mem er.

Therefore it is an object of my invention to provide a satisfactoryswitch construction having a movable switch member which is adapted tooccupy more than two positions, within an are substantially less than180.

Another. object of my invention is to make a switch of the above type inwhich three positions of a movable switch member may be established bythe manipulation of a lever over an angle of substantially less than180. Another ob'ect is to provide a lever operated snap switc with anactuator, capable of occupying more than two positions, 1n which.

' the movement of the actuator from a given osition to but not past thenext position will be sufiicient to operate the switch. Other objectsand advantages will appear as it is described in connection with theaccompanying drawing.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of a switch embodying theprinciples of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation view of the opposite side of the switch fromthat shown in Fig. 1. V

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the switch with the cover plate removed.

Fig. 4 is a section view of the switch, the

section being taken on the line of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but with the cover plate and one-halfof the switch frame removed.

Fig. 6 is a broken sectional elevation view of the switch, the sectionbeing taken on the line 66 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a broken sectional elevation view of the switch, the sectionbeing taken on the line 77 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the switch gith the section taken on theline 8-8 of ig. 1. V

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of the switch spindle.

Referring to the drawing the switch com prises a laminated switch base10 made up of a plurality of identically formed fibre lamicontactmembers 20, 22 which are made of thin sheet metal and held upon thelower corners of the switch base. Two pairs of wire terminals 24, 26,provided with binding screws 27, lie outside of the stationary switchcontacts and are riveted to the outer lamination of the switch base, asingle rivet serving thereby to hold the contact and wire terminal tothe lamination. The laminations of the base are held together by tworivets 28, passing transversely through the laminations intermediate thewire terminals.

The movable parts of the switch are carried by a switch frame which isformed of two dissimilar stamped metallic members 30, 31 which aresecured to the base at its top by two screws 33, 34 passing transverselythrough the ends of the two frame members and the upper corners of theswitch base. One of the switch frame members is provided with lugs 36bent at right angles to the frame and overlying the top corners of theswitch base. These lugs are provided with screw threaded apertures forscrews 38 to take into for securing a face plate 40 over the switch.This face plate is stamped from sheet metal and is provided with asemi-cylindrical portion 41 adjacent and partially encasing the switchmechanism. A longitudinal slot is provided in this semi-cylindricalportion to permit the movement of a hand lever 44: by which the switchis operated.

Both of the frame members have disclike central portions 46, 47 whichare outwardly offset from the ends of the frame members. These disc-likeportions are centrally apertured to provide bearings for a switchspindle 4.9 which carries all the movable parts of the switch. Themiddle portion 50 of this switch spindle is of larger diameter than theportions bearing in the frame, thus preventing sidewise movement of thespindle relative to the frame. Adjacent the ends of the middle portionof the spindle, the spindle is flattened as at 51 and upon one of theseflattened sections the manual actuator 44 is secured.

The manual actuator is of stamped sheet metal and is made in disc format its inner end in the center of which is a slot to receive theflattened portion 51 of the spindle, thus to cause rotation of thespindle with the actuator. The handle portion of the actuator is bent atright angles to the plane of the disc portion at the periphery of thedisc, and then is bent at a right angle again into a plane parallel tothe disc portion, thus forming an oflset spring engaging portion 55. Theprojecting portion of the actuator, with which the thumb or finger ofthe operator actually comes in contact, is twisted 90 to present a flatsurface transverse to the plane of motion of the lever. Lying next tothe disc portion 54 of the actuator is a sleeve 56 loosely mounted onthe switch spindle and having secured to it at one end the switchingmember 16 which has a lug 58 turned laterally out therefrom in positionto lie just under the offset of the manual actuator. Coiled around thesleeve and located between the switching member 16 and the disc portion54: of the actuator is a coil spring 60 having its ends 61, 62 pressingagainst the opposite side of the lug 58 and offset 55. Projectinglaterally from the switching member 16 in the opposite direction to thelug 58 and on the opposite side of the switch spindle from the lug is apin 64. This pin slidably engages in an aperture in a cup shaped ratchetmember 7 0 which has a plurality of circumferentially spaced teeth 72extending from the periphery of the cup and fitting in a plurality ofcircumferentially spaced apertures or recesses 74 in the disc-likeportion of the frame member 31. This pin connection between the cupmember and the switching member 16 causes these two parts to rotate inunison although they are relatively movable axially.

Lying between the cup member 70 and the frame member 31 is a cam disc 76which is secured for rotation with the switch spindle by a slotreceiving a flat spindle portion in a manner like that used to securethe manual actuator to the spindle.

The cam disc 76 has a number of inclined cam faces 78 pressed laterallyoutward therefrom and which are adapted to engage at certain times withcam faces 79 pressed laterally into the cup shaped member. Thus rotationof the manual actuator 44 causes rotation of the switch spindle 49 andwith it the cam disc 7 6. By reason of the enga ement of the cam faceson the cup mem r with the cam faces on the cam disc, the cup member iscaused to move away from the switch frame when the manual actuator isrotated. This moves the teeth 72 out of apertures 7 4 in the switchframe. But, while the manual actuator was causing disengagement of theteeth from their apertures, the offset portion 55 of the manual actuatorwas pressing against one end of and tensioning the spring 60 so that assoon as the teeth come out of the apertures the switching member and cupmember are free for movement under the action of the spring, the otherend of which, bearing against the lug 58 causes the movement of theswitching member 16 with a snap action.

Preferably three cams are raised in the cup member and three on the camdisc, spaced 120 apart, each cam having two circumferentially directedinclined faces which meet at the peak of the cam. The cams on the cupmember are smaller than those on the cam disc, the relative size of thecams and their height being regulated during manufacture so that whenthe manual actuator has rotated from an old position to, but not past, anew position the cam faces will have engaged each other and moved thecup member axially along the spindle a suflicient distance to have movedthe teeth out of the apertures. This avoids the necessity of moving theactuator past its new position before the contact snaps to its newposition, as was necessary in prior switches.

As the cam faces 79 of the cup member ride off the cam faces 72 of thecam disc, a coil spring 80, wound around the spindle 50 and constantlypressing against the switching member 16 and the cup member 70, forcesthe cup member toward the frame member 31 causing the teeth 74 of thecup member to engage in the apertures of the frame 31 next adjacent tothe ones they had occupied prior to movement of the manual actuator.This arrests the cup member and movable switch contact in a newposition.

In the embodiment shown seven apertures are made in the frame and spacedapproximately 51 apart so that movement of the switch member is arrestedafter it has moved approximately 51. Thus I am enabled to get threepositions of the switch member in the small compass of the cavity 14 ofthe switch base.

These positions are shown in Fig. 6. In the two extreme positions (showndotted) the switch is on and the contact button 17 bridges the contacts24 or 26; while in the middle position (shown in full lines) the switchis off.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that by varying the height andspacings of the cam faces on the cup member and cam disc and varying thenumber and spacings of the apertures in the frame member and the numberand spacings of the teeth on the cup member the movement required foractuation and the number of positions able to be obtained by the switchmay be varied within limits defined only by practicability.

Many other variations and modifications within the scope of my inventionwill occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore I do not limit myselfto the specific embodiment shown.

I claim 1. In a lever actuated snap switch, a supporting frame, aspindle carried by said frame, a manually actuable lever movable withsaid spindle, a switch member, switch actuating spring means connectingsaid lever and switch member, ratchet means movable with said switchmember, and spring means independent of said switch actuating springmeans normally urging said ratchet means into engagement with said frameto prevent movement of said switch member, cam means movable with saidlever to shift said ratchet means along said spindle for disengagingsaid ratchet means from said frame.

2. In a snap switch, a frame having a plurality of recesses therein, aswitch spindle having mounted thereon a manually actuable member, aswitching member, a toothed member, and a cam member, the teeth of saidtoothed member being adapted to fit in said recesses, said cam spindleand actuating member being movable together, and said cam member beingadapted to shift said toothed member axially to disengage said teethfrom said recesses and permit movement of said switch member, springmeans for actuating said switching member with a snap, and other springmeans for urging said toothed member in engagement with said frame.

3. In a switch, a frame having a plurality of circumferentially arrangedrecesses, a manually operable member and a switch spindle, a toothedmember and a switch member rotatable together, the teeth of said toothedmember fitting into said recesses, a

cam member-rotatable with said spindle to disengage said teeth from saidrecesses by axial movement of said toothed member While said cam memberis being rotated through an are equal to the are between adjacentrecesses, spring means for actuating said switching member with a snap,and other spring means for urging said toothed memher in engagement withsaid frame.

4. In a switch, a manually operable member, a frame, a spindle, a switchmember, a toothed member rotatable with said switch member but movableaxially of said spindle, relatively to said switch member, the teeth ofsaid toothed member engaging in a plurality of circumferentiallyarranged recesses in said frame member normally to hold said switchmember against rotation, and means operable by said manually operablemember to move said teeth from said recesses and to actuate the switchwith a snap motion and a spring independent of said means urging saidtoothed member in engagement with said frame.

5. A switch, a frame having a plurality of circumferentially spacedrecesses, a switch spindle, a toothed member mounted on said spindle,the teeth of said member fitting into said recesses, a switching membermovable with said toothed member, means to withdraw said teeth from saidrecesses and permit movement of said switching member a distance equalto the spacing of said apertures, spring means for actuating saidswitching member with a snap, and other switchmeans for urging saidtoothed member in engagement with said frame.

6. In a snap switch, a switching member, a manual actuator movable inclockwise and counter-clockwise directions to move said switchingmember, a member having cam faces thereon and movable with said manuallyoperable member, a frame, a toothed member engageable with said frame tohold said switching member in any one of a plurality of fixed positions,and cams on said toothed member engageable with said cam faces to causelateral movement of said toothed member whereby to disengage it fromsaid frame, spring means for actuating said switching member with asnap, and other spring means for urging said toothed member inengagementwith said frame.

7 In a snap switch, a switching member, a manual actuator movable inclockwise and counter-clockwise directions to move said switchingmember, a member having cam faces thereon and movable with said manualactuator, a frame, a toothed member engageable with said frame to holdsaid switching member in any one of a plurality of fixed positions, andcams on said toothed member engageable with said cam faces to causelateral movement of said toothed member whereby to disengage it fromsaid frame when said manual actuator has moved through an are no greaterthan the are between adjacent positions of said actuator, spring meansfor actuating said switching member with a snap, and other spring meansfor urging said toothed member in engagement with said frame.

8. In a snap switch, a switching member,

a manual actuator movable in clockwise and counter-clockwise directionsto move said switching member, a member having cam faces thereon andmovable with said manual actuator, a frame, a toothed member engageablewith said frame to hold said switching member in any one of a pluralityof fixed positions, and cams on said toothed member engageable with saidcam faces to cause lateral movement of said toothed member whereby todisengage it and said frame, when said manual actuator has moved througha small are, spring means for actuating said switching member with asnap, and other spring means for urging said toothed member inengagement with said frame.

9. In a snap switch, a switch spindle, a manually movable member formoving said spindle, a switch member and cam means rotatable about theaxis of said spindle, said cam means, spindle and manually movablemember being movable together, a toothed member and a frame memberhaving cooper ating recesses and teeth, one of said last mentionedmembers being stationary and the other being movable axially of saidswitch spindle by said cam means to disengage said teeth from saidrecesses and permit movement of said switch member, spring means foractuating said switching member with a snap, and other spring means forurging said toothed member in engagement with said frame.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

- MONROE GUETT.

